


I Was a Fighter

by Crab_Lad



Series: I Was an Island [1]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Custody Battle, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I will also put a side story for shorts & info about this fic, M/M, Minor Character Death, Obi-Wan is a teacher, Past Character Death, Rex is a single dad, Rexobi modern au, Single Parents, Slow Burn, anyway, idk how to tag :sobbing:, preschool teacher
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24419059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crab_Lad/pseuds/Crab_Lad
Summary: Rex is a single dad, trying to raise his two twins as a freelance Carpenter. Turns out that Ahsoka & Tup's kindergarten teacher happens to be none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi, Cody's best friend.
Relationships: (queer platonic), CC-1010 | Fox & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody & Obi-Wan Kenobi, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, CT-7567 | Rex & Anakin Skywalker, CT-7567 | Rex & CT-5385 | Tup, Obi-Wan Kenobi & CT-7567 | Rex, Obi-Wan Kenobi/CT-7567 | Rex, Padmé Amidala & CT-7567 | Rex, many more! - Relationship
Series: I Was an Island [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763449
Comments: 6
Kudos: 83





	I Was a Fighter

**Author's Note:**

> okay so i know, i have some other goddamn fics to write but fuckin I LOVE THESE TWO? not as much as codywan but,,, i love them. This is an idea i've had for a while, and idk how long its going to be but like yea. Also i know jack shit about the legal system so take it all with a grain of salt. 
> 
> title from I was an island by A. W.

“It is nice to meet you at last, Rex Fett,” Obi-Wan Kenobi grinned. 

Honestly, if Cody’s friend was _this good looking_ , Rex was going to chew his brother out for not introducing them sooner. 

Though in all honesty, Rex was surprised to meet Kenobi. Cody had certainly told him stories about his Queer-Platonic Partner, and Rex had heard similar stories from his own closest friend, Anakin. But for some reason, seeing Mr. Kenobi on Tup and Ahsoka’s papers hadn’t clicked in his brain as Cody and Anakin’s Kenobi. 

“So- yeah, I,” Rex stammered, flushing. He shifted Ahsoka to sit on his other arm with Tup, wiping his now free hand on his pants. Holding it out for Kenobi to shake, Rex cleared his throat, “Yeah, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m surprised we’ve managed this long.”

Kenobi chuckled brightly, the smile he gave showing off his dimples, and _oh fuck Rex was already gone for this man_. The smile was infectious, Rex helpless to return it with his own as Kenobi accepted his hand. It felt nice, with slight calluses that suggested regular work other than teaching. 

“Yes,” Kenobi agreed, pushing his glasses up from where they had slipped. “I’ve known your family for nearly 17 years now. I have to say, when I saw the twins in my roster I was excited at the prospect of meeting you.” 

“Daddy,” Ahsoka whispered, interrupting the conversation, “can we get ice cream?” 

Rex smiled at her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as Tup moved closer, burying his head in Rex’s neck, “Sure thing, honey, just let _Buir_ finish talking with Mr. Kenobi.” 

Kenobi shook his head, “No, please, Rex, call me Obi-Wan.” 

Ahsoka chose that moment to squirm, struggling to drop down to the ground. The little girl had a hard time sitting still, usually loved to run and be free. Easily, Rex let her down, and held Tup a little tighter as he turned back to K-Obi-Wan. 

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then, Obi-Wan?” 

It must have been the trick of the light, but he swore he could have saw a blush rise up on Obi-Wan’s pale face. 

“Yes,” Obi-Wan agreed, “I suppose you will.” 

* * *

“Daddy isn’t it cool that Ben is our teacher?!” Ahsoka cheered, skipping alongside Rex, following him to the car. 

Tup had fallen asleep on his shoulder, unfortunately drooling on Rex’s work shirt. He tried not to mind it though, after all he would do almost anything for his kids. There was a small sadness that crept in, knowing that all of this might go away so soon. 

“ _Buir?”_ Ahsoka looked up at him, tugging lightly at his pant leg. 

Rex took a breath, trying to let go of his anxiety and fear. Now wasn’t the time to focus on that, he had his kids with him here and now, that was what was important. Tup was asleep soundly in his arms, Ahsoka was looking up at him with those big blue eyes. He could worry about his Maya’s family later, could worry about the battle for custody later. 

“Sorry, Socks, got lost in thought,” he responded, patting her on the head carefully as to avoid her buns. They had been a pain in the ass to figure out that morning, and he wasn’t willing to mess them up now… at least not more than they already were.

She frowned, looking at the ground, “What does that mean?” 

“It means that I was thinking about something, and it was the only thing I could focus on,” He responded, shifting Tup up further to try and loosen the ache in his shoulder.

“Oh.” 

Rex opened the door for her, letting her clamber into the car. She crossed it to the otherside, plopping down in her carseat. Smiling fondly, he slowly slid Tup into his, buckling the sleeping toddler up, before going around the car to help Ahsoka. Except, she slapped his hands away when he tried to help. 

“No! I can do it myself!” she shouted, before looking sheepish. “Sorry.” 

“It’s alright. I’ll be here if you need help?” 

She shook her head, another strand of hair loosening from her bun, “No, I can do it!” 

So, he took a step back, and watched as Ahsoka attempted to buckle herself. She managed to get one of the shoulder one done, but twisted the strap of the second. The one that connected from under the legs was too hard for her to connect. Defeated, she turned to Rex with big puppy dog eyes. 

Sighing, he moved back in to take over, “It’s okay to ask for help, Socks. Doesn’t make you any less smarter than you are.” 

She mumbled back an, “Okay…” while sitting back and letting him untangle the mess she made. Tup chose that moment to wake up and start fussing, grabbing for his teddy bear that was currently residing at home. Clicking the final button together, Rex leaned across to get Tup’s attention. 

“Hey buddy, we’ll be home soon okay? Go back to sleep.” 

Tup seemed to be satisfied with this as the little boy turned over and passed out again. Ahsoka wiggled from where she was trapped under Rex, tugging on his shirt. 

“ _Buir_ , you said ice cream.” 

Right.

Pulling back, Rex nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead, right over where her two spots sat. He stood back, closing the door behind him. Only allowing himself a moment to stretch, moved over to his door and slid into his seat. Ahsoka sat in the back, cheering ‘ice cream’ loud enough he was worried she would wake Tup again. He caught himself missing Maya again, and felt guilt at his reaction to meeting Obi-Wan. 

It had only been a little over a year since she died. And here he was, getting tongue tied over a pretty man while their two kids were still struggling to adapt to life without their mom. It had hit Tup the hardest, and he always woke up, asking when Maya would be back. It didn’t help that Maya’s family was trying to take the kids from him, claiming that he wasn’t fit to be a father.

They had tried to blame the car crash on him. They tried to use his freelance work against him. They were trying to _take his kids_. 

Kids. 

Right.

He really needed to keep his thoughts on track. Opening his eyes, he turned on the car and pulled out, driving down towards the park where he knew the usual ice cream stand would be. It was the only place that sold dairy free ice cream that Ahsoka liked, which would be kinder on Tup’s stomach, and please the young girl. 

“Hey, Siri,” he called, absentmindedly while he drove, “call Cody.” 

“Calling ‘asshat’,” the device responded, instantly filling Rex with fear. 

Ahsoka giggled before shouting, “Asshat!’ 

“Socks, that’s a bad word, we don’t say it,” Rex reprimanded, silently cursing him for not thinking. He didn’t often call when driving, and even then he rarely called Cody. 

“Why not?” Ahsoka responded innocently. “Your phone said that’s what Uncle Cody’s name is!” 

“Well,” he struggled for the right words to say, “It's a very mean word. It’s like… calling someone a jerk but even worse. And what did Mommy always say about calling people a jerk?” 

“That ‘if you call someone a jerk you’re no better than a jerk yourself,” Ahsoka recited proudly. 

Cody's warm voice filtered from the tinny speaker of the phone, "Who are we calling a jerk?"

“Asshat!!!” Ahsoka cheered. 

“Uh,” Cody cut off, surprise clear in his tone. 

Rex groaned out loud, resisting the urge to lean his forehead against the steering wheel. He’d like to safely drive his kids thank you very much. But now he had to clean up the asshat mess and also chew his brother out over Obi-Wan. While somehow avoiding the fact that Rex acted like a highschool boy with a crush over him. 

“Sorry, Kote,” Rex answered, shooting Ahsoka a stern look in the mirror. The little girl only giggled again and started mumbling to herself. “Ahsoka is repeating a word that I would very much like to call you right now.” 

“Oh? And what have I done? Rex, I haven’t even talked to you today,” to an outsider, Cody would sound annoyed, but Rex could hear that subtle tease to his tone.

It seemed easier to just get to the point, and avoid beating around the bush. It wasn’t like meeting Obi-Wan was that big of an occasion. After all, Rex wasn’t talking about a date. No, he was calling his brother to have a friendly chat about the twins’ first day of school. 

“I met the kids’ teacher today. He’s a nice guy, you’ve probably heard of him. Obi-Wan Kenobi?” 

The line was quiet for a moment, before Cody broke out into unusual laughter. Cody rarely laughed, smiled yeah, but laughing like he was doing now was so rare, Rex was sure this was only the second time he had heard it. 

“Sorry, sorry,” Cody panted when he apparently calmed down, “I’m just- You two have magically avoided meeting each other for _seventeen years_. Despite the fact he’s been to every single one of my birthday parties, _your best friend is his younger brother_ , and he’s babysat the twins a lot.” 

When Cody laid it out like that, he really questioned how the situation had come about. It seemed absurd that they had really gone so long. Yet- thinking back he remembered seeing a flash of copper hair as he left to meet up with Maya. 

“Rex?” 

“You- It seems insane that this happened.”

Rex could hear the shrug in Cody’s voice as he responded, “You know what _Buir_ and Plo always say. People come into your life when they’re meant to, and they leave when they’re meant to. Maybe you and Obi weren’t meant to meet until now.” 

It made sense, in a way, even if Rex had a hard time believing his father. It had been what Jango had said right after the crash, when Rex had still taken the brunt of the grief, when all he could think about was, _what comes next?_ Plo had been there, a secondary father to them all, helping him understand that _pain was okay_. Still, he supposed the idea had some merit. 

“I guess you’re right,” Rex gave in, frowning. His eyes flicked up to the mirror, where he saw Ahsoka playing with Tup’s long hair. The boy had woken up at some point, but had remained quiet enough that Rex hadn’t noticed. 

“Besides, he’s exactly your type.” 

Rex sputtered, pressing down onto the gas with a little more pressure, before he caught himself and leveled his speed back out. Cody was always nosy like that, hell, Cody had been the one to introduce him to Maya. 

“Codes,” Rex chided with a sigh, “it’s just been a year.”

His brother went quiet on the other end of the line, “Rex, your kids are in the car right? We shouldn’t have this conversation where they can hear.” 

That’s a good point. Rex… hadn’t even thought about that. Still, he’d rather avoid this conversation in general. The less he talked about Maya the better. He thought about her enough, it would only hurt to keep reopening the wound. 

“ _Ba’vodu Kote_ ,” Ahsoka cut in, talking louder than she needed to. Then again, Jango also did the same thing, thinking that just because it was speakerphone meant that it wouldn’t pick up his voice. “Will you come to the park with us? We’re getting ice cream!” 

Tup perked up, and Rex watched fondly as his head poked up in the mirror. His bright brown eyes were wide in excitement. It was adorable, how much his kids loved his siblings. Jango’s family, other than Aunt Arla and Uncle Alpha… well. Rex certainly didn’t know them. He was just happy his family was a big part of his kids’ lives. 

“Sure, peanut,” Cody responded, a soft undertone to his voice. Cody was always weak for Ahsoka, so it was no surprise he answered. “Tup’ika, are you there as well?”

“‘ _Lek_ ,” Tup answered quietly. “We’re getting the ice cream that won’t make my tummy hurt.” 

“Good, I would hope so. I’ll see you both soon okay? Take care of your _Buir_ for me, and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.” 

“I can do that,” Tup accepted solemnly, like he had been given a grave task to carry out. His eyes gleamed with determination, even as Ahsoka giggled.

But apparently his brother wasn’t done, “Rex’ika.” 

Rex groaned, but just let his brother continue. No matter what Cody seemed adamant in calling him that, like he was still a child. It wasn’t the time or place, regardless. 

“Yeah?”

“ _Buir_ and Plo are hosting a barbeque next week. Everyone’s RSVPed in the group chat except you. Didn’t Fox tell you?” 

“He wasn’t here this morning when I woke the kids up, I think he left for the office again,” Rex remembered, thinking back to the quiet, empty house from the morning. 

“Huh. Well, you and the kids are also invited. Make sure you let Plo know.” 

“Will do. Bye, _ori’vod._ ” 

“Bye.”

Cody hung up with a click. A moment later, the two in the back started chatting loudly, eagerly talking about seeing their aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. The idea of the barbeque was already enough to get their spirits lifted, which only turned into full blown cheers as they pulled into the park. It was a struggle to get them out of their seats, as their excitement made them wiggle around, struggling to escape their seats. But soon enough, the buckles were off, and the two jumped down to streak across the park.   
  
He couldn’t help but smile at his kids, seeing them happy and carefree. They could get the ice cream after they finished playing, for now he’d let them enjoy it. 

* * *

The kids were asleep by the time they got home. They would probably sleep into dinner, but he figured they could push it off for once. Their day had been long after all. 

Carefully, he carried them and their stuff into the house, dropped them down onto Fox’s couch, and wrapped a blanket around them. Ahsoka clung onto Tup, holding him close as he snuggled into her chest. The sight warmed his heart, and he had to lean down and press a kiss to both their heads. 

“Hey,” Fox greeted, stepping in the door. 

So his shift just ended… most likely forced back home by the Chief. One day his older brother’s habit of working himself to the bone was going to get him into trouble. Whether that be poor health or working too much he actually suffered from it… well that remained to be seen. 

“The gremlins are asleep?” 

Rex shot him a playful glare over his shoulder as he moved into the kitchen. It would be better to just start dinner now, and then reheat it when the twins woke up. 

Fox responded with a dry smile, leaning against the island while he watched. “How was their day?” 

“Good, I think?” Rex answered, filling his pot with water. Spaghetti would go over well with both kids, but he would be sure to keep the sauce on the side. Tup hated eating anything that was red. Ahsoka… loved the stuff. A little too much sometimes. He was sure the ketchup stain in his white tank top would never come out. “They were happy when I picked them up.”

“That’s good.” 

Rex gave him an odd look. Fox rarely pried in this much, choosing to let Rex bring it up himself. Something seemed… wrong. Something was wrong and Fox wasn’t telling him. All thoughts of dinner left him in that instant, as he turned off the burner and whirled around to face Fox. 

“What is it?” he hissed, more stressed than angry. He’d rather get this over with, than worrying over it needlessly. 

Wincing, Fox held out an envelope. He moved silently, slowly, as if trying to deny that this was happening, that any of this was real. That in itself worried him, if Fox didn’t like it then it was something really bad. 

Gingerly, Rex accepted the envelope, lifting open the already torn flap. The letter was nondescript, just something simple with his name on the back. When he flipped it open, he found it was a handwritten letter, along with an official document from the court.

_Dear, Rex Fett._

_We’ve decided to push next year’s trial up by five months. We don’t see the point in pushing it off longer than we need to, but we understand that you still need to gather your resources and come up with your own defense. We hope that this news doesn’t upset you, and we look forward to seeing you in the courtroom on March 17th. Thank you again for understanding._

_-Mr. And Mrs. D’Angelo._

Rex’s hands shook as he lowered the letter, dread seeping deep into his bones. Padme had agreed to help him, yes, but they had thought they had until August. Now… Now they had less time to plan, less time for him to find a way to keep his kids. He couldn’t lose them too, he wouldn’t survive. His kids… he needed them and they needed him. There was no way he could lose them. 

Arms touched his shoulders, grounding him back into reality. Fox’s face appeared in his vision, blank and passive. It infuriated Rex, why wasn’t he upset? Why wasn’t he pissed that his niece and nephew could be taken just like that?

“ _Vod haalu. Gar liniba haalur._ ” 

Rex nodded, inhaling through his nose, pausing, then exhaling through his mouth. He followed the pattern until Fox let go of him, taking the letter out of his hands. 

“We’ll figure this out, _vod’ika_ ,” Fox promised, leaning his forehead against Rex’s. “We’ll figure something out. You won’t lose your kids.”

Fighting back tears, Rex merely nodded, looking over at the two sleeping twins. 

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr is crablad
> 
> MANDO'A TRANSLATIONS: 
> 
> Vod haalu. Gar liniba haalur: Brother, breathe. You need to breathe.


End file.
